of
Madeira as he looked over the paper. Luc dropped down opposite him
and gave him a smile, the kind he had been working on perfecting in
front of a mirror.
‘Freddy, old chap.’
‘St James! You’re back,
are you?’ His friend looked him over and let out a low whistle.
‘Well you look the ticket, I must say.’
‘I don’t know what you mean. The
ticket?’
Mr. Featherstone gave a crow of laughter.
‘Capital! Now you just need to go and seduce the odd female or two
and you’re set to go.’
Luc winced, conscious that this remark
earned them a few disapproving looks from the older gentlemen
present. ‘Keep your voice down!’
‘ A rake is never
embarrassed, old thing. Even I know that.’
‘It’s amazing how much you and Olympia seem
to know about rakes, all of a sudden,’ Luc observed with a touch of
bitterness. ‘I should have gotten both of you to give me lessons
and not bothered with the genuine article.’
‘You’ve been to see Miss Grayson then, have
you?’ there was a curiously wistful note in Freddy’s voice, all of
a sudden. ‘How is she?’
‘You idiot, I told you not to start making
eyes at her! Never tell me you’ve been courting her.’
‘I may have called round a few times,’
Freddy said, sounding defensive, ‘perhaps asked her to dance once
or twice. She’s remarkably amusing. Not one to stand on ceremony in
the least. Makes a fellow feel comfortable. I told you I was going
to try my luck.’
‘Yes, But I didn’t think you’d be silly
enough to try. You’re not her -’
‘Type. Yes you’ve
mentioned that although you never really said why. You don’t regard
Miss Grayson in that way so I don’t think you’re any judge. No, I
do believe you should focus on obtaining the affections of Carisse
Houghton and leave Olympia to me. You can’t have every pretty filly in
London.’
‘I don’t want Olympia!’
‘Then stop sounding like a jealous
suitor.’
Luc paused, then took a
deep breath. Freddy was missing the point but there was no good to
be done in harping on it. ‘Very well. I am sure that Olympia has
the good sense to know her own mind,’ this was completely at odds
with what he did think, but he could see that getting Mr. Featherstone worked
up for nothing would be absurd. Instead, he would have a quiet word
to Olympia on the subject of Freddy tonight when he saw her. ‘In
the meantime, what has been happening around town?’
Freddy relaxed
immediately. By nature the most indolent of men, he did not like
being at odds with anybody. ‘Oh, the usual. Bertie Grantham took a
facer when his horse baulked at a fence. Broke his nose. It was
that sway backed black he bought from Archer. Told him not to take
the beast but there you go. Porky Luscombe has gone and got himself
engaged to some young filly. That’s the last we’ll be seeing
at him at
Belchers for a time, I dare swear.’
And so it went on, snippets of Society
gossip, all filtered through the judicious eyes of Mr.
Featherstone. After ten minutes Luc felt he hardly been gone at
all.
‘I did hear that the spitting duke has been
making some serious passes at the Beauty,’ he said, finishing off
his recital. ‘Word is, he’ll make an offer before the week’s
ended.’
Luc frowned. ‘Olympia told me he was keen. I
shall have to act quickly.’
‘So you should. Just because the man is a
duke doesn’t mean that he needs run off with the Season’s prize.
When are you seeing the fair Carisse?’
‘Tonight, at some ghastly poetry
reading.’
Freddy looked at his
friend, his hand hovering over his glass. ‘Not that poetry reading? The one that
young fool Falstaff is putting on?’
‘How many can there
possibly be? Unless poetry evenings have become de rigueur while I’ve been
away.’
‘No, thank God. But
you are keen! I
can’t imagine anything more vile. I don’t know if you’ve
encountered our precious Mr. Falstaff yet but let me tell you, the
man is a complete clunch. I am talking the
Madeira as he looked over the paper. Luc dropped down opposite him
and gave him a smile, the kind he had been working on perfecting in
front of a mirror.
‘Freddy, old chap.’
‘St James! You’re back,
are you?’ His friend looked him over and let out a low whistle.
‘Well you look the ticket, I must say.’
‘I don’t know what you mean. The
ticket?’
Mr. Featherstone gave a crow of laughter.
‘Capital! Now you just need to go and seduce the odd female or two
and you’re set to go.’
Luc winced, conscious that this remark
earned them a few disapproving looks from the older gentlemen
present. ‘Keep your voice down!’
‘ A rake is never
embarrassed, old thing. Even I know that.’
‘It’s amazing how much you and Olympia seem
to know about rakes, all of a sudden,’ Luc observed with a touch of
bitterness. ‘I should have gotten both of you to give me lessons
and not bothered with the genuine article.’
‘You’ve been to see Miss Grayson then, have
you?’ there was a curiously wistful note in Freddy’s voice, all of
a sudden. ‘How is she?’
‘You idiot, I told you not to start making
eyes at her! Never tell me you’ve been courting her.’
‘I may have called round a few times,’
Freddy said, sounding defensive, ‘perhaps asked her to dance once
or twice. She’s remarkably amusing. Not one to stand on ceremony in
the least. Makes a fellow feel comfortable. I told you I was going
to try my luck.’
‘Yes, But I didn’t think you’d be silly
enough to try. You’re not her -’
‘Type. Yes you’ve
mentioned that although you never really said why. You don’t regard
Miss Grayson in that way so I don’t think you’re any judge. No, I
do believe you should focus on obtaining the affections of Carisse
Houghton and leave Olympia to me. You can’t have every pretty filly in
London.’
‘I don’t want Olympia!’
‘Then stop sounding like a jealous
suitor.’
Luc paused, then took a
deep breath. Freddy was missing the point but there was no good to
be done in harping on it. ‘Very well. I am sure that Olympia has
the good sense to know her own mind,’ this was completely at odds
with what he did think, but he could see that getting Mr. Featherstone worked
up for nothing would be absurd. Instead, he would have a quiet word
to Olympia on the subject of Freddy tonight when he saw her. ‘In
the meantime, what has been happening around town?’
Freddy relaxed
immediately. By nature the most indolent of men, he did not like
being at odds with anybody. ‘Oh, the usual. Bertie Grantham took a
facer when his horse baulked at a fence. Broke his nose. It was
that sway backed black he bought from Archer. Told him not to take
the beast but there you go. Porky Luscombe has gone and got himself
engaged to some young filly. That’s the last we’ll be seeing
at him at
Belchers for a time, I dare swear.’
And so it went on, snippets of Society
gossip, all filtered through the judicious eyes of Mr.
Featherstone. After ten minutes Luc felt he hardly been gone at
all.
‘I did hear that the spitting duke has been
making some serious passes at the Beauty,’ he said, finishing off
his recital. ‘Word is, he’ll make an offer before the week’s
ended.’
Luc frowned. ‘Olympia told me he was keen. I
shall have to act quickly.’
‘So you should. Just because the man is a
duke doesn’t mean that he needs run off with the Season’s prize.
When are you seeing the fair Carisse?’
‘Tonight, at some ghastly poetry
reading.’
Freddy looked at his
friend, his hand hovering over his glass. ‘Not that poetry reading? The one that
young fool Falstaff is putting on?’
‘How many can there
possibly be? Unless poetry evenings have become de rigueur while I’ve been
away.’
‘No, thank God. But
you are keen! I
can’t imagine anything more vile. I don’t know if you’ve
encountered our precious Mr. Falstaff yet but let me tell you, the
man is a complete clunch. I am talking the
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